A guided walk through a woodland near London, searching for the beguilling and elusive wild fungi.
We'll be moving at a relaxed pace with plenty of space for chatting and note-taking. As well as identifying different species, we'll also be sharing their stories, and speaking about the broader questions surrounding foraging.
At the end, we'll share some homemade food with freshly-foraged wild mushrooms.
We might chat about:
- "How to look" at fungi. Sometimes it's the small details that can distinguish a toxic mushroom from a tasty one. We'll go over the anatomy of a mushroom and learn which features to look out for.
- “Where to look” for fungi. Mushroom foraging totally changes how you move through a forest. We'll chat about how to assess forest ecology as a forager, useful tree species, and mushroom growth habits.
- Why fungi matter. We'll talk about the ecological roles of specific fungi that we find, amidst broader discussions about their importance in both local and global ecology.
- Fungal storytelling, including folklore, traditional uses, and famous mushrooms from history.
- Medicinal mushrooms. This includes traditional medicinal uses, current clinical trials, and recipes for how to make your own remedies at home.
- Flavour profiles and recipes.
- Foraging laws and rights.
- Sustainable foraging practises, how to assess and mediate your impact on the local ecology, amidst broader discussions of where foraging sits in conversations about sustainability.
- The relationship between foraging and land politics.
Your thoughts, opinions and questions are most welcome, and your level of foraging experience doesn't matter. Mushroom walks are designed to be accessible to anyone.
More details, including more information about the location (ignore the postcode listed here - we do not publicise our mushroom foraging locations,) can be found in the terms and conditions. Please read them all before booking a ticket.
This year, £1 from each ticket for a mushroom walk will be donated to Grassroots Gaza. If you'd like to donate more, select ‘Donation’ on the ticket page and enter your price. You don't need to buy a ticket to a mushroom walk to donate. Or, you can pay them directly via their Chuffed page.